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Fig and walnut bread

I love cheese. I am an absolute cheese snob, and you will never find me without at least 4 types of cheese in my fridge. I’m not just talking cream/cottage/tasty/parmesan here: there might be some ash-dusted chevre to crumble over my eggs in the morning, 36 month vintage cheddar to go with spiced relish in a steak sandwich, or pungent taleggio to melt over buttered mushrooms.

I recently hosted a bit of a ‘cheese and wine’ party (as you do) and I wanted to make something nice to go with the cheese. I wanted something figgy and walnutty, but when I searched for fig and walnut bread half of the results were cakes (kind of like banana ‘bread’) and the remainder were just ordinary yeast-risen bread. I thought that bread would be a bit too heavy and filling so I decided to do a bit of an experiment.

This recipe is basically a biscotti recipe with the sugar removed, but I have decided to call it ‘bread’ because ‘savoury biscotti’ just doesn’t quite ring for me. It is surprisingly simple and quick to make too!

You will need:

2 eggs

1 2/3 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup dried figs, diced

Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Mix in remaining ingredients. Knead lightly to form a dough.

Break the mixture into two and form each portion into a log. Bake at 180 for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven to 140.

Slice the logs into rounds, spread them out on the tray and bake for 15-20 minutes, turning once. Allow to cool.

Serve with cheese, or eat them on their own. They’re not bad just as a snack actually!

The sweetness of the figs combined with the crunchy walnut were a great match for the strong, creamy cheeses on the platter. Try it with blue, taleggio or ripe camembert.